Wicked tells the story of Elphaba and her relationship with Glinda. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard’s corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba’s public fall from grace. The plot begins before and continues after Dorothy’s arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to the events depicted in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as a backstory.